Radial-draft gear.



Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

sierra a r rear marten.

ERNEST H. SCHMIDT, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG-NOR TO THE NATIONAL MALLEABLE CASTINGS COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

RADIAL-DRAFT GEAR.

1&942656.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 17, Millet.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Ennnsr H. Sornrmr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, (luyahoga county, Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ptadial Draft Gear, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation of a draft mem ber howing the application of my invention thereto; Fig. 2 is a partial bottom plan thereof; Fig. 3 is a section on lines IIIIII of Fig. 1"; Fig. 4 is a section on lines IVIV of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a detail thereof.

My invention relates to radial draft gear by which the coupler is adapted to be guided to the center of the track, and is designed to provide mechanism whereby the draft member can be disengaged from the guiding connection to permit coupling on a curve with a coupler which is secured to a car in the usual manner. To this end I provide an engagement between the draft member and the guiding connections which can be readily released so that with the car on a curve, the coupler may be swung radially by hand about its pivot into position to couple with an ordinary coupler on the opposing car, which coupler will normally lie at one side of the center of the track and out of alinement therewith. I also provide means for reengagement of the draft member and the guiding connection when the cars have been coupled and have proceeded on their way. Referring to the drawings, 2 is the draft member which is adapted to be pivoted to the car in the manner customary with radial draft gears (not shown), and 3 indicates the guiding connection which is carried by the truck (not shown). Bolted to the under side of the draft rigging casing 4 is a bracket 5, which is T-shaped in cross-section. The clutch 6 which is pivotally suspended from the bracket 5 has a slot 7, the walls of which normally engage the sides of the forward portion of the guiding arm 3 and outer sides 8 of which are inclined outwardly and upwardly. The clutch 6 is pivoted by the lever 9, the bolt portion 10 of which passes through registering apertures in the bosses ll 11, or bifurcated portion, of the clutch 6 and in the web 12 of the bracket 5. The bracket 5 is provided with semi-circular recesses 13 in its rear side which provide a rotative bearing for the eye 17 in which a rod bosses 11 11. The bolt portion 10 of the lever 9 has a squared part 14 which enters a correspondingly squared recess 15 in the boss 11 of the clutch 6, so as to provide an engagement which will cause the clutch 6 to be rotated when the lever 9 is actuated. The end 16 of the lever 9 is suitably threaded for reception of a nut, or other securing device, which look together the lever 9, the clutch 6 and the bracket 5, and the other end of the lever is preferably formed with an 18 or other actuating devlce may be attached. The forward end of the rod 18 is carried by the coupler support 20 and terminates in the handle 21.

The operation of my device is as follows: When it is desired to release the engagement between the clutch (3 and the guiding arm 3, the handle 21 is pulled forwardly which causes the lever 9 to rotate and with it the clutch 6, the lower end of which moves rear- Wardly and upwardly into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so as to completely disengage the clutch and the gulding arm thus permitting a free pivotal movement of the draft member. The coupler and the draft member may then be swung by hand to the left or right as desired in order to couple with a coupler mounted in the ordinary manner on the car. As soon as the operator releases the operating handle 21, the clutch will drop by gravity into normal position. l/Vhen the car is again in motion the draft member will be eventually swung back to normal position over the center of the track, and in so doing either one side or the other of the guiding arm 3 will engage one of the inclined outer sides 8 of the clutch 6, and will automatically lift the clutch until the arm passes directly beneath the slot, whereupon the clutch will drop by gravity into normal position, and the sides of the slot will reengage the sides of the arm.

It is obvious that many changes may be made in the construction which I have shown and described herein.

What I claim is:

1. In a radial draft gear, a draft member pivotally mounted on a car to swing in a horizontal plane, a guiding connection mounted on the car truck, and a clutch intermediate the draft member and the guiding connection, and adapted to form an interengagement therebetween, said clutch being mounted to move in and out of the path of the guiding connection, and having means cooperating with the guiding connection to permit said connection to lift the clutch to cause it to drop into interengaging position.

2. In radial draft gear, a draft member pivotally attached to a car, a guiding connection attached to the truck, a member intermediate the draft member and the guiding connection, comprising interengaging means therebetween, the said intermediate member lying normally in the horizontal plane of the guiding connection and being arranged to be thrown out of action at will to permit the draft member to be abnormally deflected, the said intermediate member being adapted to be raised by the guiding connection on its return to normal position and to fall into interengagement therewith.

clined faces on the intermediate member with which the guiding connection is adapt ed to coact when the draft memberis returned into alinement with the guiding connection to raise the intermediate member into positlon to drop again lnto mterengage ment wlth the guiding connection.

ERNEST H. SCHMIDT.

Witnesses:

CHESTER K. BROOKS, V HARRY E. ORR.

Goblet of thii patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0! Yatefita.

Washington, D. 0. c 

